Dawn
by Flame of a Dark Phoenix
Summary: What if everyone in Twilight was gay? This is a story written by someone who isn't a fan of Twilight but who used to be. Bella/Jessica, more pairing and character dynamics inside. WIP at the moment. Written with aussiebrd23 (AO3 name) who is fantastic. Written with the support of my girlfriend, Hell Has Wifi.
1. Chapter 1

What would have happened if basically all the main characters of twilight were gay? Except for Edward, being forever alone, and also in jail for stalking. Would the story have been better? Probably. aussiebrd23 and I are happy to show y'alls "Dawn", or Twilight rebooted.  
The lowdown: this is probably going to be AH, or have different supernatural elements. Sparklepires are just no. Sorry. Also, the Quilette tribe deserves better, don't ya think? Also, Cullen family shifted around a bit. Alice, Emmett and Edward are Carlisle and Jasper's adopted children. Alice is dating Rosalie Hale, who is a distant cousin of Jasper, and is living with them because her parents kicked her out. Emmett is dating Jake, who is Bella's step-brother and lives with his dad, Charlie (who is married to his dad) and Bella. Edward is a creep who stalks people. Jasper and Carlisle are married. Esme is Carlisle's sister, she lives alone and is the awesome aunt, she's also asexual, not sure if she's going to date anyone or not yet. Bella is dating Jessica, who used to date Edward before she realized how much of a creep he is.  
Carlisle, Jasper and children live in a house in Forks, and Esme rents the apartment above Billy's restaurant.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. Ms. Meyer can keep it and all the Morman propaganda it contains. I only partly own Dawn.  
I do own parts of the plot and the personalities of these characters.  
WARNING: The only thing really similar is the names of people. But, ironically enough, Edward will be the closest to the book, except in this story abuse will not be shown as an ideal.

* * *

I must resist the urge to facepalm, I think to myself over and over and over again. Renee is once again apologizing for, in her words, "sending me off to the middle of nowhere." Look, I'm fine with it. In fact, I'm actually kind of excited. I'm moving to Washington. A state where I can actually, you know, get married. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't like Phil that much. He's good for my mother, and gives her much needed stability, but to be completely honest I feel a bit like a third wheel. I also haven't come out to him yet. Renee knows, and thinks he'd be fine with it, but I'm worried. I've heard him say some things to his buddies that at best are mildly homophobic and at worst are outright bigoted. For a character flaw, it's a pretty big one, but I know for a fact it's his only major one. But, he is a baseball player, and sports are generally heavily-masculine places, so it's probably more his upbringing then anything else. My other reason for not having a problem with moving to Forks is that I get to live with my dad. Charlie is awesome. Seriously, he's the police chief, which falls under the category of totally cool job. Even in a small town like Forks, being the head of the PD is a pretty big job. Also, he was the first person I ever came out to, when I was thirteen, and he was more than cool with it. He said that it changed absolutely nothing, and that I was his little girl no matter what. He also added that if any of my future girlfriends ever hurt me, he would shoot them between the eyes. Now, I know that's kind of over protective, but still, it's nice that he just automatically moved the shovel talk across genders.  
"It's fine mom. You go be happy with Phil, and I'm going to try not to get myself alienated at Forks High," I say, internally relieved when I see that some of the worry lines on her face have smoothed out. I look over at the departure/arrival board. My plane is arriving in a half hour.  
"I know sweetie, it's just I don't want you to get stuck like I did." I sigh. I know that she considers this a genuine concern, but really mom? I know Forks is small, but that just makes it better. I'm a bit of a nature freak, and have spent hours out in those woods. I know them almost as well as my dad, and that is an achievement, as he has spent all forty-odd years of his life in that town, twenty of them as a cop. Also, you can't have secrets in a town that small, so if something bad happens that I need to know about, I will know about it. Also, and this is my paranoia showing, since my dad is the police chief the likelihood of someone getting away with murdering me is much smaller. Yes, I should probably cut down on the cop shows, and no, that is never going to happen, they may induce paranoia but they are still awesome.  
"I won't get stuck. And hey, maybe I'll find a girlfriend," I said, grinning at the thought. For some reason, it is extremely difficult for me to find girls who have similar interests, even allowing for the necessary difference in opinion even the most identically minded people have. I don't really get it.  
I notice that Renee's smile gets a little fixed at that. "About that." She makes this sigh-like noise, except it sounds more like her breathing pattern has been interrupted, or that she has something heavy on her chest. "Bella, the other reason I'm sending you to live with your dad is that, well, you see," she sighed again, "Phil is wonderful, except he thinks that you need to be sent to a gay cure center, "just in case", according to him."  
I sit up at that, nearly knocking over the chair I'm sitting in. The only reason it doesn't fall is that it's been attached to the chairs next to it, being a airport waiting area chair. "Wait, what? You told him? Mom, I specifically asked you not to tell anyone." Screw this. "Go." I know I'm probably unreasonably angry at her. To be honest, I'm also angry at myself, for trusting my mom with this.  
"Sweetie, you have to understand, I had to tell him! He's your dad!" Her words are like a slap in the face. Has she completely forgotten Charlie? I stare at her in shock, as she usually would not bend to someone, even Phil, like that.  
"Mom, Phil is not my dad. Charlie Swan is my dad," I say quietly. I don't raise my voice, not wanting to make a scene in the middle of the airport. This is unreal. My mom had betrayed me utterly, telling her boyfriend that I was lesbian despite me specifically telling her that this was not to be shared with anybody or so help me god I will never speak with you again.  
"Of course. But Phil's your other dad, you know? Look, it's okay if you don't want to go to Forks, you can still leave now with me." I stare at her.  
"Mom, I'm going to Forks Washington. What you've said has made me want to stay with you and Phil even less." I say, feeling a little guilty at the realization that yes, I do not want to stay within a mile's distance of my mother for another minute.  
She clutches at me, and grabs my arms. I twist away and she says, "But he's just trying to help you Bella, make you better. And anyway, how do you know this isn't just a phase?"  
I stare at her, holding myself, arms crossed. Have I heard her correctly? Has she really just agreed with Phil, does she really think that I have some sort of disease. "It's not a phase, Renee." The lady over the intercom announces that my row should come board the plane. "Look, mom, I really got to go," I say, grabbing my backpack and turning towards the tunnel.  
"But we can help you, make you better" she says.  
I turn and stare at her. I think of how she probably should have told me this somewhere other than an airport. "You are sending me away because you don't want me to be forced to go to ex-gay therapy, and yet you want me to go to ex-gay therapy," I say, trying to keep the building tears out of my voice.  
For a second I see my mom in Renee's expression before she becomes Phil's girlfriend again. The transformation her opinion has gone through in fifteen minutes is staggering. "You know I don't want it, but I want to make Phil happy. And he does have a point. Wouldn't you want to make sure, so you aren't deluding yourself?"  
Feeling a bit like I'm about to throw up, I grab my backpack again, pulling it onto my shoulders. "This, I think, is why I'm going to Forks. I told Charlie when I was 13 and he believed me, and he still loved me. You want to change who I am for your boyfriend's happiness." I turn around and walk towards the gate. I hear Renee's footsteps pad away, and I feel the eyes of some of my fellow passengers on me. Ignoring them, I wait in line to give my ticket to the lady. When I get on the plane, I greet the stewardess.  
"Are you okay?" she asks. I'm tempted to say no, haven't you noticed that my mother just said something really hurtful to me? Except of course she doesn't want to hear that, so I nod, and walk past her.  
I arrive at my seat and I'm relieved to discover that I have a window seat. Settling down, I shove my backpack under the seat in front of me, buckle my seatbelt and grab a manga from the dozen or so I have in my backpack. I ignore the safety warnings, preferring to read my manga. Girlfriends is one of my favorite romances, the story about two Japanese school girls who fall in love. It's the first yuri manga I ever read and I enjoy it immensely.  
I'm at the part where the two of them kiss in a karaoke bar when someone sits down next to me. I close the manga and place it on my lap. Turning towards the person, I notice that its a girl, with blonde hair and green eyes. "Hi," she says.  
"Hi. I'm Bella" I say. I like talking to people on planes, because they always have interesting stories. There was this one time when the person sitting next to me was the wife of the first officer. She told me all these interesting stories about all the gifts her husband had brought her from all the places he's been.  
"I'm Jessica. Where're you going?" she asks. I'm tempted to answer "The airport" but this feels like a genuine question, so I decide to give her an honest answer.  
"Forks, Washington. I know you probably don't know where that is..." I start, and she interrupts me.  
"I'm going there too! I live there actually, how come you're going?" I consider answering the question truthfully. Jessica seems nice, and considering the town in question, she's likely non-homophobic.  
"My mom's boyfriend thinks I should be sent to ex-gay therapy, so I'm moving to live with my dad, Charlie," I explain. I hate that word, ex-gay. People actually believe in it, and I throw up a little in my mouth every time I hear them.  
"That is terrible," she says.  
I nod. "The worst part is that she doesn't want me to go, but is willing to send me anyway to make her boyfriend happy."  
She looks pissed for a second, before getting that look that people get when they make connections. "You're Charlie Swan, the police chief's daughter?" she asks.  
"Yeah" I say.  
"That's amazing! After my ex boyfriend started stalking me, he managed to get him behind bars despite the protests of his parents," she says, smiling at me again. I notice suddenly how soft her lips look... I mentally shake myself. Not now, especially considering that Jessica is in all likelihood straight.  
I raise an eyebrow, pushing the semi-inappropriate thoughts out for the moment. "Some boyfriend. I take it that his parents couldn't believe their precious little angel could do something like that?" I ask. I realize at this moment that we discussed my being gay for thirty seconds tops, and then moved on. Which was fantastic. If Jessica was the average Forks resident, then maybe I would be able to be completely out.  
She snorts. "Sadly yes. But they changed their tune when he confessed and essentially disowned him."  
"Good," I say. I have never been stalked, but my mother was once, and it had not been a pleasant experience for her.  
We lapse into a strangely comfortable silence, me reading my manga and she playing something on an iPad she pulls out. I finish the manga and pull my backpack out from where I've stashed it. I unzip in and place the manga inside with the sort of care I use when handling puppies or small children. I consider pulling out the well-loved Harry Potter I also have stashed in there, but I decide instead to see if I can find anything interesting to look at out the window.  
Despite the fact that we are flying up the coast, I see absolutely no water. In fact the only thing of note besides the clouds is a decidedly confused looking bird. I stay in my position, head on fist, because I decide to use the time I'm stuck in this flying tin can to think. I try to think about what living in Forks will be like, how different it will be from Phoenix. But I find myself thinking of slightly chapped lips and green eyes everytime I lose focus, and my thoughts soon become confusing and annoyingly circular.  
I look back at her, and I notice her staring at me. She blushes, and I feel a bit like I'm in a two bit romance you can get can for $1.50 at a supermarket. Deciding to go with the semi-crazy instinct I have just had, I say "You're... you're really pretty."  
Jessica gives me a trembly smile and I feel myself giving her one back. "I think you're pretty too" she says. I get this warm, glowy feeling in my chest, and the smile on my face goes from happy to stupidly happy. She looks down, and plays with her fingers for a second, before looking at me in the eyes and asking very quietly, "Will you go on a date with me?"  
For a second my mind is totally blank, then I answer "Yes," and I can't say anything more because I'm blushing, and suddenly Jessica's hand is in mine, and it's really warm. Her hand is slightly bigger than mine, and I decide that I want to memorize every line of it, this hand and her other hand, and maybe more of her. I look at her face again and I see this smile on her face and suddenly my biggest wish is to see her smile like that again.  
She lets out this big whoosh of air, and I realize that I've also been holding my breath, my chest tensed as if to ward off an attack. I let in out, feeling it go through my teeth, and I squeeze her hand. She squeezed back, and says, "There's this really good restaurant, owned by Billy Black, your dad's husband," she says, and I nod.  
"I know, I've been coming to Forks during the summer since my parents split up," I say, grinning when I realize that having our first date at the restaurant where Billy met my dad, while my dad was investigating a robbery there, would be possibly the best thing ever.  
"Really?" she says, then her eyes widen, and a smile once again splits her face. "Oh my god, I know how I recognize you now. I accidentally knocked over your ice cream when we were like, six?" she asks, and the memory clicks into place in my own mind.  
I start laughing, and I say "Yes, I remember that. I remember that you gave me your ice cream but I insisted we share it, so my dad got a plastic bowl and another spoon, and we ate it with that."  
She laughs too, then starts fighting to breath, and I do to, because the laughter has turned itself into a feedback loop, and soon other passengers on the plane are glaring us, and we hiccup ourselves to silence. "Ouws is a twu wuv" she says, in her best impression of the clergyman from The Princess Bride. I almost crack up again, but instead opt for quiet giggles. "It works, actually, because my ex could be Prince Humperdink, and you're the dashing Wesley, come to save the day," she says seriously.  
"Does that make you Buttercup? Well then, I do say that you are the number one prettiest girl in the world" I say, equally serious.  
I lean over, and she leans over, and suddenly we're kissing, still holding hands, and her lips are as chapped as they looked, but still soft, and though it's kind of awkward and horrible, it still is the best kiss ever. We both pull away at the same time, and this time I'm the one who smiles first.  
We settle into an amazingly pleasant silence, leaning into each other as much as we can on a plane, and I just stay there, for what seems like forever. She's a bit taller than me, so I have my head on her shoulder, and she's leaning against the top of my head. It should be uncomfortable but it isn't, instead it's amazing and intimate, and I'm now dreading the end of the plane ride.

* * *

AN: Greetings folks, I'd just like to announce that flames are unwelcome, and will also be placed on a public forum (namely, about fifty different websites including instagram) to be wondered and laughed at.  
I will accept trolls, but you must spell correctly!


	2. Chapter 2

The plane lands, and we've spent the entire trip talking, and laughing. I've learned that she was, ironically enough, in Phoenix to visit her father, who works as a professor at the University of Phoenix, teaching one of their online classes in neurology. What she's told me has me want to learn more, and we've also traded emails and phone numbers. I've got this excitement bubbling in myself and I'm sad, sad that we're getting picked up by different people.

Her mom arrives first, and Jessica kisses me full on the lips, in front of the entire airport, and I think that it would be impossible for it to be more perfect. No one notices the kiss, but it doesn't matter because even before she's out of my line of sight I get a text, asking me if I'm still willing to go out with her, now that we're no longer at risk of dying, thus making our need to copulate less extreme.

I laugh, and answer that of course, and also if that was truly my motivation, then I was a very bad progenitor of a species.

My phone vibrates again, but before I can read her text I notice Charlie and Billy looking for me, and I shove it in my pocket, eternally grateful that I make a point of buying pants in the guy's section. I walk over to them, and without preamble, I say, "I have acquired a girlfriend since our last meeting" instead of greeting them.

Charlie grins, and grabs me in a hug, the same hug I remember always getting, the hug that says that I am his favorite person ever, and that he will always be there for me. "Hey Cygnet, that's fantastic! Who is it?" he asks, and Billy nods, before grabbing me in a hug as well.

"Jessica, remember her? We ate ice cream together like, ten years ago." Billy grins wide, and the two of them look at each other.

"That's brilliant Bells, but remember" Billy says, and I interrupt him, saying, "You will kill her slowly then place her body where the sun don't shine, and dad's going to forcibly close the case 'cause no one hurts me."

The two of them nod emphatically, and Charlie throws me something. When I catch it, I feel the familiar shape of the keys to his truck, and I look at him in shock. "You're letting me drive Barney?" I ask. Barney's a slightly beat up looking brown pick-up that might actually be older than Jesus. Charlie has had that car for as long as I've been alive, and probably longer, and he loves it like most people love their dogs or cats.

He nods, and says, "He's yours now. I'm giving him to you." I feel something catch in my throat.

"Why?" I ask.

Billy answers for Charlie, saying "You're coming to live with us Bells, and we both think you need a car, and even though Barney's a bit temperamental, he'll keep you safe. Also, I've finally convinced Chuck to get a new car."

Charlie, who looks like he's about to cry, says "My dad gave me him when I was your age, and I guess I should continue the tradition. Anyway, I know you love fixing stuff, so maybe you'll make him run better" and I hug him, then use a free hand to grab Billy, and we're having a group hug and even though in a movie people would be staring no one notices, and we're all completely fine with that.

The two of them lead me to the parking lot, where Barney's sitting next to a black volvo sedan that Billy happily announces is named Lola, slapping the bumper in a manner that would be inappropriate if she was actually a woman. I shake my head slightly at the name and Billy's antics, and climb into the drivers seat of my dad's truck.

It's hard going, and I immediately start cataloguing what parts I might need to convince Jake to let me "borrow" to use to fix the car. For one thing, the radio's half dead, and one of the check engine lights appears to want to give me a minor case of epilepsy. But I make it to the house in one piece, following Lola the entire way.

I get out, and grin slightly when I notice that the house is a different color again. When I was last there is was yellow with pink trim, and now it's a light green with teal trim. Billy's paints houses when he's not cooking, and it's become a pattern now for him to change the color every few years. It's nice to have the differences, but...he's not always the most color-conscious person. One time, the house ended up bright red and green. Which was... interesting to say the least. The house looked like Christmas from November to April, when it finally warmed up enough to repaint, and the house returned to a normal shade (yellow and tan). I make my way to the door, and go through my old routine of first trying to push it open, then lightly kicking it, and when all else fails, giving it a shoulder-check that would make the football team proud. Once I'm in, I scan the house's interior to see how much has changed. There are a few small differences I'm sure of, but I'm not sure how much I remember of here. So far, it's just how to open the door, the old colors of the house, and Jessica.

I grin when I notice the school pictures, each equally horrible looking, in proud progression from kindergarten to freshman year of high school, the only break in the pattern being that most recent photo, where part of my brown hair is blue. I wonder whether or not I will end up getting another photo, considering that I'm arriving half way through. I'm pretty sure I missed Picture Day, and also getting any form of school ID (crap, I'll need one of those). Maybe I could dig out a photo from my phone to use. Before I can take it out of my pocket, a hand taps me on the shoulder.

I turn and I notice Billy holding a bundle, fabric that probably used to be white but is now completely covered in paint stains. "We're painting your room, I wanted to paint it green but Chuck said that you should choose, so I have blue, white and green."

"Green sounds nice." I say with a small grin. Green has been my favorite color for a while now, but I didn't have the chance to paint my room at home. It'll be nice to have a green room here.

A huge grin splits his face. "Brilliant! But you'll be sleeping on the mattress in the living room until is done, is that okay?" he asks.

"That would be awesome!" I hear a crash from the next room, then a muffled swear and a mattress thumping to the ground. "Charlie's already setting it up, isn't he?"

Billy sighs, and hands me my work clothes. I quickly pull the loose fabric over my clothes, feeling right at home. I follow him into the living room, already feeling the wonderful feeling of rightness being at Charlie's always gives me.

I walk into the living room and see a sight that I've grown used to through long exposure. Jake busting his ass trying not to break the house while setting something up, and Charlie sitting and watching, having declared that menial labor such as moving mattresses into living rooms is a job for younger beings.

I lean against the wall and ask my step-sibling "Hey Jake, how's Emmett?" Jake's been dating the middle Cullen for the last two years, and it's been absolutely fantastic. Emmett shares Jake's adrenaline addiction, and there have been many instances where they do crazy stunts for the hell of it, and only make it out alive because there is not a luckier pair of boys in a hundred mile radius.

Jake looks up from the mattress and say, "Amazing, as always. We've got a new/old motorcycle that we think you'd like to tinker with"

I make my best attempt at raising an eyebrow, which probably looks totally ridiculous. "New/old?"

"It'll be new for you...but she's definitely seen some years."

"Hmm…."

Jake gets a slightly panicked look on his face, as if he's just noticed that my skin has suddenly turned aqua . "To tinker with! We thought it might be a challenge! Sorry?"

I can't help but let a huge grin slide across my face. "I'm teasing, I'm teasing. It sounds really fun."

He breathes a sigh of relief and goes back to mattress dragging. "You need any parts for Barney?"

"For now just a radio. And I'll need to run a diagnostic, the check engine light appears to be attempting suicide"

"Interesting way of putting it. I'll see what I can find as far as a radio goes," he says, laughing.

The mattress has finally been shoved into place, and Billy declares, "Time to paint everyone!"

Painting a room turns out to have a lot more steps than I thought it would. First, we peel off the faded whitish grey paint. After that, we re-paint it white with primer, and after forever of waiting for it to dry, we finally start painting the room. We get halfway done with the first room before we realize that although we put down the dropcloth, we still have on our normal clothes. There's a moment where we're resting for a minute, look at the other, and take this in at the exact time.

"Hah!" I say. I'm the only one wearing work clothes, and it shows. The other three covered in paint stains, Billy and Charlie especially as they had started flinging dribbles of paint at each other. Charlie has a new green shirt, and Billy's hair looks like he's been living in a swimming pool.

"Chuck started it" Billy says. At the same time, Charlie points to Billy, and I shake my head.

"You two are less mature than Rose and Alice" I say, thinking of my best friend and her girlfriend.

Billy rolls his eyes at the ceiling. "I'm being compared to a bunch of girls?"

I know he's teasing, but I can't exactly let that slide. "I guess it was an insult…"

"Thank you." Billy says.

"...to the girls." I finish, savoring the moment when his facial expression changes from smug to confused to a friendly glare in my direction. This is why I love living with this part of my family. We throw paint at each other, because we enjoy throwing paint at each other. What other reason should there be?

During the shenanigans we have also managed to actually paint the rooms as well, so I decide to start cleaning up. "Y'alls gonna help me or do I have to call Jasper?"

This is apparently enough of a threat to get Charlie to grab the first bag he can get his hands on and lug it up the stairs to just outside the door to my room. Billy follows suit pretty quickly, and even more impressive, keeps up a constant stream of complaints about how heavy my bags are.

"What do you have in here, Bels? Rocks?"

"Yes, Billy. I brought rocks all the way from Phoenix to here just so I could make you carry them upstairs."

"You probably would've Cygnet" Charlie says, the bag bumping up the stairs. I grin, and run down stairs to dump my backpack next to my temporary nest.

Grabbing a manga from it, I run upstairs and throw it at Jake. "I returned your Black Butler!"

"Finally!" he says, catching it and immediately opening it the wrong way. He snorts and takes a pen from his pocket and scribbles something in it, throwing it back at me.

Under where I've written Grell is MINE he has written Fine! But I get Bassy. I roll my eyes and throw it back at him. "You can't have Seb, he's Ciel's remember?"

"I cosplay as Ciel...remember?" he retorts, mimicking my tone exactly.

I pretend to think for a second, and nod. "Right. And Emmett cosplays Sebastian. Oh, on that subject, what are you going to be for the next con?"

"Not sure yet. We were thinking maybe doing something from Full Metal Alchemist?" I nod excitedly, and grin at both Charlie and Billy's blank looks of confusion.

"Is this some new teenager code I'll have to learn?" Charlie asks.

That gives me an idea. I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll through my music, stopping at the Kaito/Gakupo version of Magnet.

"Listen to this" I say, shoving the headphones at him. I keep a close watch on his facial expressions as the subtitles start to register.

He shakes his head. "You could've told me that you've been shipping me an' Billy. Then I'd be less creeped out by all the hearts,"

"Well, yeah, but do you like the song?" I take the phone back and go to the next one in my playlist, Just Be Friends. "Here, try this one."

He rolls his eyes at me. "Look, they're cool, but it's not really the type of music I like. You alright with that Cygnet?"

"Yeah, duh. Do you really think I wouldn't be? Considering everything?" The thing with our family, is we don't do big emotional moments. But when we do do emotional moments, we go all out, so I decide to hug Charlie. He and Billy got married when I was eight, and they were worried that I'd be upset with it. I wasn't-my dad is my dad, and I'm going to love him whatever happens, because it's not like the current step-dad is all that great. Of course, my coming out to them a few years later made sure any remaining doubts they had about my okay-ness with them being married.

"Point"

"Yeah. Exactly."


End file.
